Water based compositions for a wide variety of purposes are well known, such as for example, aqueous based compositions useful as shampoos, cleansing creams, cosmetics, eye preparations, body lotions, pharmaceuticals, physiological saline solutions, odor and stain eradicators, disinfectants, suppositories and the like. The production of such compositions is such that it is intended that bacterial contamination be eliminated by killing of the bacteria during processing and production of the product. However, because of the adaptability of bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas bacteria, and because its nutritional demands are modest, it can survive and multiply quite easily. This is especially true with water based enzyme compositions where problems with the presence and growth of gram positive and gram negative bacteria severely limit the stability period of shelf life of the compositions to a period of about three to four months.
It has been discovered that the aforedescribed microbial contamination problem is especially prevalent in water based enzyme containing products due to contamination and growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. As a result of the aforesaid microbial contamination problem in water based enzyme containing products the marketing and use of such products has been inhibited.
Moreover, the presence and growth of bacterial contamination in the various types of water based products described hereinbefore can present a health hazard to those who utilize such products and incur the risk of bacterial infection. Severe health problems can result to those who utilize such contaminated products and are especially susceptible to contracting bacterial infections, such as chronically ill or severely debilitated persons and those on antibiotics or immunosuppressive therapy.
While stabilizers against such bacterial contaminations have heretofore been proposed, such stabilizers have not been particularly satisfactory or of sufficient efficacy to produce products of relatively long-term stability. Since the aforementioned compositions are often utilized in a manner that they require contact with skin or mucous membranes of humans or animals, it is necessary to utilize stabilizers or preservatives that are nontoxic, free or substantially free of harmful side effects and are environmentally safe to humans and animals. However, such stabilizers which have the aforesaid desirable characteristics have not been able to provide sufficient effective stabilization to water based compositions to enable the products to be stable over extended periods of time and during constant use.
It is therefore highly desirable that such water based compositions be stabilized so that the risk of bacterial infection from such products be eliminated or substantially eliminated and that such products have an increased shelf life or stability. It is also desirable that water based enzyme compositions be stabilized against bacterial contamination to produce water based enzyme compositions having a shelf life or stability of about two years or more and that such stabilized compositions be environmentally acceptable and safe to humans and animals who are exposed to or contact such compositions.